Danes Learning Many Kinds Of English

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30975, 3 February 1966, Page 2

Danes Learning Many Kinds Of English

With a year’s leave from their jobs or studies, 24 young Danes are touring the world giving demonstrations of gymnasium and folk dances, making friends wherever they go and improving their conversational English.

Walking as if on springs, exuding wholesome good health, the team has become a goodwill mission from their country promoting the age-old idea of “a sound mind in a sound body.” (The ancient Greeks had the same aim).

The gymnasts receive no pay on tour. But travel, with expenses paid, is a rich personal investment, they feel. “We are like a touring family,” said Miss Else Petersen in Christchurch yesterday. “Gymnasium makes us feel so good—so exhilarated—and this feeling reaches out to others.”

They make friends easily, this party of sun-tanned, blueeyed Scandinavians who enjoy talking in English.

After four months in Canada and the United States many of them now have a slight overlay of American to their Danish accent. The Danish “yah-yah,” as they nod in agreement, occasionally becomes “yeahyeah.” By the time they have been through New Zealand and part of Australia, they expect to have a truly international in-

flexion to their words, one of the girls said. English is taught as a second language in Danish schools from the time a pupil is about 12. After English comes German and French. Many Danes speak the three foreign languages. “We need to know at least English if we want to travel, for no-one outside Denmark learns Danish,” Miss Petersen said. “At home we read and translate English, but it takes a tour like this to teach us to talk freely in English. Every day we learn more.” A gymnasium instructor at the University of Copenhagen for about 10 years, Else Petersen said gymnasium has been part of her life since she was a small child. “This is because 1 had a good teacher who made me really interested. That is important, a good teacher, for almost any young person can do gymnasium. It is a matter of becoming very itnerest'ed to be good,” she said. National Sport

Gymnastics is a national sport in Denmark. In all the Scandinavian countries it is popular, as the summer is never too hot for it and during the long, cold winter practice and demonstrations can be done indoors.

“Gymnasium suits the Scandinavian temperament,” she said. “Now that there are so many machines doing the work for us we need to use up our physical energy in other ways. We have special classes and teams for all ages —even 50 or more. Our house-

mothers find it keeps them fit, keeps down too much fat and helps them relax,” she said. Music is an important part of Danish gymnastics. As with dancers, it helps gymnasts interpret their movement? with grace and pleasure.

"The music makes us forget ourselves and brings out something from the mind and heart as well as the body,” she said.

The team uses mainly classical music by such composers as Schubert and Schumann. The girls do less strenuous exercises than the boys. “We use hoops, balls, clubs, skipping ropes and balance beams in the performances and we practise whenever we can for an hour, but they are not daily rehearsals when we are travelling,” Miss Petersen said. With all their exercise the girls and boys, whose average ages are between 21 and 22, have to watch their weight. They do not need to diet and can eat almost anything—including a moderation of chocolate—but bread and potatoes are kept to the minimum. CRISPER COOKERY

Crisper, more golden and eyepleasing dishes can be prepared in the new pure corn oiil— CORNOLA—at aid grocers, in 4 sizes. Try some today. —P.B.A.